Zamboanga City, July 5 — The decapitated remains of two of the remaining five abducted Vienamese sailors stunned residents of a Basilan town early this morning.
The bodies were found about 5:40 in the morning first by a resident of a barangay of Sumisip town. The horrifying discovery was disclosed by Col. Juvymax Uy, the commander of the Joint Task Force Basilan.
The cadavers were believed to have been left behind by still unidentified persons in Barangay Tumahubong.
The remains were identified by Uy as those of Hoang Thong and Hoang Va Hai, ill-fated crew members of the Vietnamese bulk carrier, M/V Royal 16.
The murdered sailors were among the six crewmen which the Abu Sayyaf bandits seized with the hijacking of the bulk carrier on November 11, 2016 around the seawater of Sibago Island of Basilan province.
Of the six crewmen, three still remain in captivity while Hoang Vo, 28, managed to escape last month at the height of a military air strike.
Still in the hands of the bandits is Pham Minh Turn, the master of M/V Royal 16.
“The cadavers will be made to undergo forensic exams as coordination with the Vietnamese embassy,” Uy said.
It is believed that the members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) were behind the beheading of the two Vietnamese sailors. The group is known to behead captives for years.
But Uy said they are still “getting information on the details of the incident (beheading).”( from PNA report by Darwin Wally T. Wee)
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